De-risk your contact centre platform shift

Picture this: your contact centre has been running smoothly on a legacy platform for years. The agents are familiar with every feature, every quirk. But the needs of your callers are changing and your business has to adapt; faster response times, lower hold times and more personalised experiences. Cloud-based solutions promise greater agility, cost savings and the ability to leverage cutting-edge contact centre tech. Already, 75% of contact centres are cloud-based, with 44% of these fully integrated and 31% hybrid.

You know it’s time for a change but the prospect of a platform shift feels all too daunting. The stakes are high and the path forward is anything but clear.

An overview of platform shifts

A platform shift is more than just upgrading existing software, it’s a comprehensive transformation of the technological foundation that supports your contact centre operations. This shift often involves moving from on-premise systems, deeply rooted in your organisation’s processes, to cloud-based platforms that offer enhanced flexibility and scalability.

But when you get it right, the benefits outweigh the transition costs and efforts. The new, cloud-based platform doesn’t just handle calls - it can integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, workforce management tools and a myriad of other technologies that keep the wheels turning. An effective shift ensures all these components continue to function seamlessly while adopting new capabilities that drive growth and efficiency.

The importance of de-risking platform shifts

Moving to the cloud, in any capacity, has its challenges. A poorly executed shift can disrupt operations, frustrate employees, and possibly worse of all, alienate customers. This is why de-risking is not just a precaution, it’s a necessity for long-term success. Ensuring a smooth transition mitigates risks associated with downtime, data loss and integration failures.

Common platform shift challenges: what to expect

The best way to imagine a platform shift is to think about your contact centre as a bustling city. Telephony systems are the highways, CRM are the administrative buildings and workforce management tools are the essential services that keep everything running smoothly. Now, imagine trying to relocate an entire city to a new, more modern location without disrupting daily life…that’s (in a metaphorical way) the essence of a platform shift.

Complexity and interconnectedness

When contemplating a shift to a new platform, every system that ‘touches’ the contact centre platform has to be considered. We’re not just moving data, we’re ensuring all individual interactions between systems continue to function without a hitch. The goal is to recreate the same, if not better, level of service in the new environment. But with so many moving parts, the risk of something going wrong is high.

The big bang approach vs incremental changes

There are two primary approaches to platform shifts: the ‘big bang’ approach and incremental changes. Each has its challenges and risks.

The ‘big bang’ approach

Let’s go back to the city analogy. Imagine building a new city over a year and then telling everyone to pack up and move overnight. Hello ‘big bang’ approach¹. It involves transitioning all systems and processes to the new platform simultaneously. While this method might seem a straightforward way to get everything done at once, there are risks:

• High risk: if any component doesn’t function as expected, it can cause widespread disruption.
• Increased risk of extended downtime: the switchover can require significant downtime, impacting contact centre operations.
• Complex coordination: all teams and vendors must be perfectly synchronised, making project management a massive task.
• Lengthy implementation time: all changes need to be done before any benefits can be realised; the city is essentially a ‘ghost city’ until people arrive.
• User adoption: employees must adjust to a completely new system overnight, leading to confusion and frustration from all stakeholders.

Incremental changes

Now, consider relocating the city block by block: an incremental change strategy. It involves transitioning components of the system one at a time, allowing for gradual adaptation and lessening the impact on daily operations.

• Lower risk: smaller, manageable changes reduce the chance of widespread failure.
• Minimal disruption but continuous change: by making changes in phases, there is a period of sequential change that can be managed to ensure the contact centre can continue to operate with minimal downtime.
• Focused testing: each component can be tested thoroughly before moving on to the next, ensuring stability and reliability.
• Gradual adoption: employees can acclimate to the new system in stages, reducing resistance and easing the transition.

While it may seem an obvious choice to choose the incremental changes strategy over the other, this approach does still require careful planning and coordination. The existing and new systems must coexist and function together during the transition period. This can add layers of complexity, but the benefits of reduced risk and smoother adoption often outweigh the challenges.

Identifying the need for a platform shift

Any successful business will tell you that they’re continuously evaluating their infrastructure to remain competitive. For contact centres, this could mean contemplating a shift from legacy systems to cloud-based platforms. But how do you know when it's time to make the move?

Legacy vs cloud-based contact centre platforms

Legacy systems have served businesses well for many years. These on-premise systems are deeply embedded in the organisation’s processes and have been tailored to fit specific needs. However, as technology advances, the cracks start to show:

• Maintenance and upgrades: legacy systems often require significant resources to maintain and upgrade. Patches and updates are cumbersome, leading to potential downtime and increased operational costs.
• Scalability: as your business grows, scaling a legacy system can be a logistical nightmare. Adding new features or expanding capacity involves extensive modifications and investment.
• Integration: integrating legacy systems with modern applications can be challenging, limiting your ability to adopt new technologies and streamline operations.

Now, imagine transitioning to a cloud-based platform; agile, scalable and easy to maintain. Cloud-based platforms offer several advantages:

• Agility and flexibility: cloud platforms can quickly adapt to changing business needs. New features and updates are deployed seamlessly, ensuring your contact centre remains at the cutting edge.
• Cost efficiency: with a cloud-based solution, you eliminate the need for extensive on-site hardware and reduce maintenance costs. Pay-as-you-go models allow for better budget management.
• Scalability: whether your business is expanding or contracting, cloud platforms can scale effortlessly to meet your demands.
• Integration and innovation: cloud platforms are designed to integrate easily with other modern applications, allowing you to leverage the latest technologies and improve overall functionality.

Key drivers for change

Recognising the need for a platform shift is the first step, but what drives businesses to make this critical decision? Here are some key reasons:

• Technological advancements: the pace of technological innovation is relentless. Staying competitive means adopting the latest tools and technologies. Cloud-based platforms offer the agility to incorporate these advancements quickly and efficiently.
• Cost savings: operating a legacy system can be expensive. From maintenance and upgrades to energy consumption and physical space, the costs add up. Cloud solutions often provide a more cost-effective alternative, with lower upfront investments and predictable, manageable expenses.
• Improved functionality: legacy systems can limit your ability to implement new features and improve service delivery. Cloud platforms, with their modern architectures and continuous updates, offer enhanced functionality that can transform your contact centre operations.
• Business continuity: cloud platforms provide robust disaster recovery and business continuity solutions. In the event of a failure, data can be quickly restored, minimising downtime and ensuring your contact centre remains operational.
• Customer expectations: today's customers demand fast, efficient and personalised service. Cloud-based platforms enable advanced customer interaction tools, such as AI-driven chatbots and omnichannel support, ensuring you meet and exceed customer expectations.

Mitigating risks during platform shifts

Navigating a platform shift requires careful planning and execution to minimise risks. Two effective strategies for achieving this are gradual migration and utilising platform-agnostic solutions.

Gradual migration strategies

Gradual migration involves transitioning components of your system one at a time, rather than all at once.

• Step-by-step transition: migrating one component at a time allows for focused testing and validation. This reduces the risk of failure and ensures that each part functions perfectly before integrating it with the next.
• Continuous operation: your contact centre continues to operate smoothly, with minimal disruption to daily activities. This ensures that customer service remains uninterrupted during the transition.
• Ease of troubleshooting: identifying and resolving issues becomes simpler when changes are made incrementally. If a problem arises, it’s easier to pinpoint and fix it without affecting the entire system.

Platform-agnostic solutions

Platform-agnostic solutions provide the flexibility to work with both your existing legacy systems and the new cloud-based platform.

• Seamless integration: these technologies are designed to function with both your existing legacy systems and the new cloud-based platform. This ensures that you don’t have to wait for a complete overhaul to start seeing benefits.
• Future-proofing: by adopting platform-independent solutions, you safeguard your investments. These tools will continue to be useful even as you evolve and adapt to new technologies in the future.
• Smooth transition: using platform-agnostic components like an IVR that operates with both systems means you can gradually shift your operations without a sudden, jarring change². This helps maintain operational stability and employee comfort.

How to ensure a successful contact centre platform shift

Making a platform shift successful hinges on careful planning and meticulous execution. Here are the key steps to ensure a smooth transition.

1. Stakeholder alignment: ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. This includes clear communication of goals, timelines and responsibilities.
2. Resource allocation: identify and allocate the necessary resources, including budget, personnel and technology. Make sure you have the right team in place, with defined roles and responsibilities.
3. Risk assessment: conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify potential pitfalls and develop strategies to mitigate them.
4. Component testing: test individual components in isolation to ensure they work correctly. This step helps in identifying and fixing issues early.
5. Integration testing: once individual components are tested, validate their integration with the existing system. This ensures seamless interaction between new and old components.
6. User acceptance testing (UAT): engage end-users in testing to validate that the system meets their needs and expectations. Their feedback is vital for final adjustments.
7. Pilot runs: conduct pilot runs to test the system in a real-world environment. This helps in identifying any last-minute issues and ensures readiness for full implementation.

Choosing a cloud-based platform to shift

When selecting a new contact centre platform, consider scalability, cost, ease of integration and the ability to enhance customer interactions. The right platform will support your current needs and those of your callers.

Oration by Convai is a cloud-based, platform-agnostic conversational AI solution that allows you to migrate and enhance your legacy IVRs independently of other components. Seamlessly integrating with your existing technology, Oration enables quick deployment and minimal disruption. To see our platform in action, take a look at this case study: ‘Retail giant reduces AHT by 43% and automates 82% of customer calls’.